1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed toward lighting fixtures and, more particularly, toward lighting fixtures adapted for to provide optimal lighting in challenging environments.
2. Description of Related Art
Lighting in manufacturing and assembly applications is critical for a satisfactory result. Unfortunately, proper lighting is often difficult to attain due to the surrounding environment and the manufacturing process. For example, the lighting in paint booths in which automobiles are placed to correct minor cosmetic defects in the original paint or clear coat, is most often inadequate. Inadequate lighting makes it difficult for the painter to clearly see the area being painted, especially when the area being painted lies on the lower portion of the automobile.
In automobile manufacturing it is important to maintain acceptable standards for the facility and fixtures throughout the process. One of these established standards is that electrical lighting fixtures meet or exceed the requirements set forth by the Underwriters Laboratory (hereinafter referred to as UL requirements). For paint booth applications the UL requirements are quite rigid, and may have resulted in light fixtures meeting UL requirements at the expense of lighting effectiveness.
Typically, paint booth light fixtures are available as either rear access fixtures or front access fixtures, each having their own particular UL requirements. As the name would imply, rear access light fixtures are built into walls and are accessible for maintenance and repair only from the rear. As such, the light fixture has a frame incorporating a front wall in which a lens of the light fixture is sealably and immovably secured to the fixture frame. Rear access fixtures suffer from the disadvantage that they are inconvenient and expensive to install, and require rear access for maintenance, which may not be available in all installations.
On the other hand, front access light fixtures are also received within a wall recess, but have a pivotally mounted front door to gain access to the interior of the light fixture for maintenance and repair. Front access light fixtures are much more convenient for maintenance and repair, but need to have a reliable means of sealing the pivotal door to the fixture frame. Sealing is important not only to keep the paint particles from entering the interior of the fixture, but also to keep moisture, such as when the booth is being cleaned, from entering the fixture. Moreover, even with such front access light fixtures it is sometimes difficult to gain access to the interior of the fixture, especially when the door is hinged at its top edge to the frame.
As shown in FIG. 1, in conventional automobile paint booths, two rows of light fixtures are provided on each side of the automobile. The individual light fixtures are received in walls of the paint booth, and may be front access or rear access light fixtures, or a combination of front and rear access light fixtures. One row 10 of light fixtures is at the top of the wall and the other row 12 is at the bottom of the wall. In automobile paint booths, especially in paint booths wherein paint imperfections are to be corrected, consistent, even, and bright lighting is necessary. This is especially important on the lower portions of the car wherein visualization of the automobile surface is difficult.
Unfortunately, in automobile paint booth lighting fixtures known in the art, the light emanates from the light fixtures essentially normal or perpendicular to the wall, as shown by the dashed arrows 14 in FIG. 1. As such, the light is directed toward an area of the paint booth that does not require illumination. This has led to the tendency to provide the paint booth with more light fixtures holding more powerful light bulbs. Although this may increase the total light in the paint booth, it does so at the expense of higher energy and maintenance costs. Moreover, just having more candle power in the booth does not necessarily mean that the automobile surfaces are easier to view and inspect. Rather, the increased light may lead to further shadows, and to difficult viewing caused by glare from the lights. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved paint booth lighting arrangement and for an improved paint booth lighting fixture that more precisely directs light from the fixture to the area to be inspected. There also exists a need in the art for a lighting fixture that is more efficient in providing light to the areas of interest, and a paint booth lighting arrangement that is more energy efficient.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a paint booth lighting fixture that meets UL requirements while providing improved lighting effectiveness. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a lighting fixture having an adjustable reflector wherein the light output by the lighting fixture can be readily directionally adjusted to meet the requirements of specific applications.
In accordance with the present invention, a lighting fixture includes a frame, a door pivotally and sealably secured to the frame to define an enclosed space, a series of elongated light bulbs received within the enclosed space, and a plurality of reflectors that are rotatably secured to the frame. Each of the reflectors is associated with and disposed relatively rearwardly of one of the light bulbs.
In further accordance with the present invention, the frame includes a back wall, a pair of side walls, and upper and lower walls, and a front face to which the door is pivotally secured. Each of the reflectors has end walls and an elongated body extending between the end walls. The end walls are releasably and rotatably secured to the frame.